Attorney General's Office Helps Flood Victims With FEMA Forms

For flood victims, getting a helping hand from the Federal Emergency Management Agency could be as easy as a telephone call or as overwhelming as a 100 piece jig-saw puzzle.

Lawyers from the Attorney General's office are about to hit the FEMA paperwork "how to" circuit.

"We looked at the FEMA process, and we found it was complicated. As a matter of fact, it took our lawyers two hours of instruction to be able to understand it themselves," said Attorney General Mike Easley.

Lawyers trained in the FEMA regulatory process will walk applicants through the applications, loans or other federal assistance. The application for flood victims needing SBA home loans has six sections.

"There are 140 housing advisors who are talking to people," said Mary Hudak, FEMA spokesperson.

At the FEMA headquarters in Raleigh, applicants also can get telephone help with the application process or have their questions and concerns answered.

"We recognize there are some complexities with this system. Each person and recovery is individual, and we try to work with them as closely as we can to help them on that right road to recovery," said Hudak.

Recovery centers are set up in the hardest hit counties like Edgecombe and Wayne counties. Those are the areas lawyers from the Attorney General's office will be targeting.

If you need additional help with FEMA paperwork, you can call1-877-997-2267.